SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Recording Academy) - Conjunto Primavera, Luis Fonsi, Ana Gabriel, Mana, Joan Sebastian, Thalia, and
Wisin &
Yandel are the first performers announced for the 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards telecast, it was announced today by The Latin Recording Academy®. Singer/actress Lucero and salsa superstar
Victor Manuelle will host the Latin music industry's premier event. Confirmed to present awards are current three-time Latin GRAMMY nominee Fonseca, current two-time Latin GRAMMY nominee Ricardo Montaner, TV personality Galilea Montijo, 2006 Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Paloma San Basilio, actor Jimmy Smits, current Latin GRAMMY nominee
Olga Tanon and actress
Sofia Vergara. The 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will take place on Nov. 2 at Madison
Square Garden and will be broadcast on the Univision Network from 8–11 p.m. (ET/PT).
Conjunto Primavera is nominated for Best Regional Mexican Song ("Aun Sigues Siendo Mia"). Luis Fonsi is nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Album (Paso A Paso). Ana Gabriel is currently nominated for Best Ranchero Album (Dos Amores Un Amante) and Best Regional Mexican Song ("Sin Tu Amor). Two-time GRAMMY winner and four-time Latin GRAMMY winner Mana will perform in a very special segment and will be presented with the President's Award by The Latin Recording Academy for their musical accomplishments. Two-time GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Joan Sebastian is nominated for Best Banda Album (Mas Alla Del Sol), Best Grupero Album (En El Auditorio Nacional) and Best Regional Mexican Song ("Mas Alla Del Sol"). Thalia is currently nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Album (El Sexto Sentido/Re+Loaded) and Wisin & Yandel are nominated for Best Urban Music Album (Pa'l Mundo).
Lucero and current Latin GRAMMY nominee Victor Manuelle will serve as hosts of the Latin premier show. With a career that spans more than 20 years, Lucero, a Latin Recording Academy member, has released 19 original albums of ranchero and mariachi music as well as Latin pop. She has appeared in five blockbuster telenovelas and seven films, winning numerous awards as an actress and singer. Latin Recording Academy member Victor Manuelle has become one of today's best-selling salsa performers, songwriters and improvisational soneros. His 1999 Inconfundible, 2001 Instinto Y Deseo and 2004's Travesia have reached Billboard's top 200 album charts and have sold a combined one million copies in the United States.
Fonseca is currently nominated for Record Of The Year and Best Tropical Song ("Te Mando Flores"), and Best Contemporary Tropical Album (Corazon) and Best Tropical Song ("Te Mando Flores"). Ricardo Montaner is nominated for Song Of The Year ("Cuando A Mi Lado Estas") and Best Male Pop Vocal Album (Todo Y Nada). GRAMMY-winner and Latin GRAMMY-winner Olga Tanon is nominated for Best Contemporary Tropical Album (Una Nueva Mujer).
Preceding the Awards show telecast, Univision will present exclusive "Noche de Estrellas" (Night of the Stars) coverage of the celebrity arrivals direct from the Latin GRAMMY Awards Green Carpet starting at 7 p.m. ET/PT (6 p.m. Central). Hosted by "Primer Impacto" co-anchor Barbara Bermudo and popular Univision personality Giselle Blondet, "Noche de Estrellas" will feature live interviews and commentary on the stars and their fashions, and provide viewers an intimate and up close look at Latin music's most glamorous and gala event.
The 7th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will feature 47 categories and will be supported on radio via Univision Radio (the official Spanish-language radio network of the Latin GRAMMY Awards), and highlighted on the Internet by Univision Online (the official Spanish-language Web site of the Latin GRAMMY Awards) at www.univision.com (Uniclave Latin GRAMMY). For more information and a complete list of nominees, please visit www.grammy.com. For the first time ever, tickets are available to the general public and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office at www.thegarden.com, or through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).
The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.